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Significant Weather Advisory for Pott-Shelby-Harrison Counties

Weather

May 10th, 2015 by Ric Hanson

123 PM CDT SUN MAY 10 2015

…SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 200 PM CDT…

AT 122 PM CDT…DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING A LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ALONG A LINE EXTENDING FROM NEAR UNDERWOOD TO OMAHA…AND MOVING NORTH AT 55 MPH. WIND GUSTS UP TO 50 MPH WILL BE POSSIBLE WITH THESE STORMS…AND 50 MPH WINDS WERE REPORTED WITH THIS LINE NEAR OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE AT 111 PM.

LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE…

OMAHA…NORTHERN COUNCIL BLUFFS…BLAIR…MISSOURI  VALLEY…LOGAN… UNDERWOOD…FORT CALHOUN…SHELBY…MINDEN…EARLING…MONDAMIN…PERSIA…DEFIANCE…MODALE…CARTER LAKE…WOODBINE…BENNINGTON…NEOLA…BOYS TOWN AND CRESCENT.

 

Posted in Weather |

TORNADO WATCH ISSUED FOR WESTERN IA UNTIL 9-PM 5/10/15

Weather

May 10th, 2015 by Ric Hanson

TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 156; NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK 1045 AM CDT SUN MAY 10 2015

IOWA COUNTIES INCLUDE: ADAIR AUDUBON BUENA VISTA CALHOUN CARROLL CASS CHEROKEE CLAY CRAWFORD DICKINSON EMMET GREENE
GUTHRIE HARRISON IDA LYON MONONA O`BRIEN OSCEOLA PALO ALTO PLYMOUTH POCAHONTAS POTTAWATTAMIE SAC SHELBY SIOUX WOODBURY

THE NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF WESTERN IOWA SOUTHWEST MINNESOTA EASTERN NEBRASKA SOUTHEASTERN SOUTH DAKOTA EFFECTIVE THIS SUNDAY MORNING AND EVENING FROM 1045 AM UNTIL 900 PM CDT.

* PRIMARY THREATS INCLUDE…

A FEW TORNADOES LIKELY; SCATTERED LARGE HAIL EVENTS TO 1.5 INCHES IN DIAMETER LIKELY; ISOLATED DAMAGING WIND GUSTS TO 70 MPH POSSIBLE.

SCATTERED SUPERCELLS AND SHORT LINES OF SUSTAINED STORMS WITH A THREAT FOR HAIL…LOCALLY DAMAGING WIND…AND A FEW TORNADOES EXPECTED OVER WATCH AREA THROUGH EARLY TONIGHT.

THE TORNADO WATCH AREA IS APPROXIMATELY ALONG AND 80 STATUTE MILES EAST AND WEST OF A LINE FROM 10 MILES NORTH NORTHWEST OF BROOKINGS SOUTH DAKOTA TO 5 MILES SOUTH SOUTHWEST OF OMAHA NEBRASKA.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

REMEMBER…A TORNADO WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR TORNADOES AND SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IN AND CLOSE TO THE WATCH AREA. PERSONS IN THESE AREAS SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THREATENING WEATHER CONDITIONS AND LISTEN FOR LATER  STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS.

 

Posted in Weather |

Click it or ticket May 18-31

News

May 10th, 2015 by Ric Hanson

Law enforcement agencies will be heavily patrolling the roads May 18th through the 31st (the days leading up to, and after, the Memorial Day weekend). During their patrols, officers will be looking to enforce the seat belt law, in hopes of reducing the number of crash fatalities. STEP

Crash data shows that passenger vehicle occupants are buckling up more during the day than at nighttime. The two-week long law enforcement mobilization across Iowa and the rest of the nation, is created to heighten seat belt enforcement 24/7, and will focus enforcement efforts, especially between the nighttime hours of 6-p.m. and 6-a.m., due to the significant number of violators and fatal crashes during this time.

Over the last ten years, Iowa has averaged 5.3 traffic fatalities during the three-day Memorial Day weekend. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration nearly half of the 21,132 passenger vehicle occupants who were killed on our nation’s roadways in 2013 were not wearing seat belts. That number jumped to 67 percent for males aged 13 – 15.

Buckling up in the back seat is just as important. Half of all front-seat occupants killed in crashes in 2012 were unrestrained but 61 percent of those killed in back seats were unrestrained. Keep in mind that those fatalities aren’t just statistics; they are someone’s family member or friend.

The Iowa Department of Public Safety and the Governor’s Traffic Safety Bureau want you to remember that the single most effective way to reduce fatalities in motor vehicle crashes is to wear a seat belt every day, every trip.

Posted in News |

OWI arrest Sunday morning in Red Oak

News

May 10th, 2015 by Ric Hanson

A traffic stop in Red Oak early this (Sunday) morning, resulted in an arrest. Red Oak Police report 43-year old Karen Patrice Rebitzke, from Oklahoma, was arrested in the 600 block of east Reed Street at around 2:35-a.m.  The woman was charged with OWI/1st offense and booked into the Montgomery County Jail, where her bond was set at $1,000.

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Hazardous Weather Outlook: W. Central/Central IA, 5/10/15

Weather

May 10th, 2015 by Ric Hanson

516 AM CDT SUN MAY 10 2015

CRAWFORD-CARROLL-AUDUBON-GUTHRIE-DALLAS-CASS-ADAIR-MADISON-ADAMS-UNION-TAYLOR-RINGGOLD COUNTIES….

SEVERE STORMS ARE EXPECTED ACROSS THE AREA TODAY ESPECIALLY THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING. HAIL UP TO 2 INCHES IN DIAMETER…DAMAGING WINDS TO 70 MPH AND TORNADOES ARE ALL
POSSIBLE. A STRONG AND LONG TRACKED TORNADO MAY OCCUR.

MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY: CHANCES FOR THUNDERSTORMS RETURN FOR WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY. A FEW SEVERE STORMS MAY OCCUR THROUGH THE PERIOD.

SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT: SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUIRED BETWEEN 1 PM AND 7 PM TODAY. SEVERE WEATHER REPORTS ARE HIGHLY ENCOURAGED.

Posted in Weather |

Iowa Regional Weather Summary, 5/10/15

Weather

May 10th, 2015 by Ric Hanson

441 AM CDT SUN MAY 10 2015

SKIES ACROSS IOWA WERE OVERCAST EARLY SUNDAY MORNING. TEMPERATURES HAD COOLED INTO THE UPPER 50S AND LOW 60S. WINDS WERE FROM THE EAST AT 10 TO 15 MPH WITH GUSTS IN SOME LOCATIONS UP TO 25 MPH. A BAND OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WAS BEGINNING TO LIFT INTO WESTERN IOWA IN THE EARLY MORNING HOURS.

A SURFACE LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL LIFT NORTHEAST INTO EASTERN SOUTH DAKOTA THROUGHOUT THE DAY TODAY. THIS LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL BRING CHANCES FOR SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS TO THE REGION SUNDAY. PRECIPITATION CHANCES WILL GENERALLY COME IN THE MORNING…AND AGAIN IN THE AFTERNOON AND OVERNIGHT HOURS.

THUNDERSTORMS MAY BE SEVERE…ESPECIALLY IN THE AFTERNOON…WITH LARGE HAIL…DAMAGING WINDS AND TORNADOES ALL POSSIBLE…ESPECIALLY IN IOWA AND WESTERN NEBRASKA AND SOUTH DAKOTA. AS THE SYSTEM PUSHES EAST…MUCH COLDER AND DRIER AIR WILL PUSH IN BEHIND FOR EARLY IN THE WORK WEEK. TEMPERATURES WILL BE BELOW NORMAL…WITH HIGHS IN THE 50S AND 60S TUESDAY…AND OVERNIGHT LOWS IN THE UPPER 30S AND 40S.

A WARMING TREND RETURNS WEDNESDAY.THROUGH THE END OF THE WEEK…ALONG WITH ADDITIONAL CHANCES FOR SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS.

 

Posted in Weather |

Hazardous Weather Outlook for parts of western/SW IA, 5/10/15

Weather

May 10th, 2015 by Ric Hanson

MONONA-HARRISON-SHELBY-POTTAWATTAMIE-MILLS-MONTGOMERY-FREMONT-PAGE COUNTIES. 418 AM CDT SUN MAY 10 2015

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTH WEST IOWA,WEST CENTRAL IOWA, EAST CENTRAL NEBRASKA, NORTHEAST NEBRASKA AND SOUTHEAST NEBRASKA.

TODAY AND TONIGHT: SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH THE POSSIBILITY OF A FEW TORNADOES. LARGE HAIL, AND HIGH WINDS WILL BE POSSIBLE THIS AFTERNOON AND INTO THE EARLY EVENING HOURS. THE GREATEST CHANCE FOR SEVERE STORMS APPEARS TO BE IN THE NORTHEAST CORNER OF NEBRASKA AND WEST CENTRAL IOWA, OR FROM THE HARTINGTON AND WAYNE AREAS TO HARLAN.

THERE IS ALSO A CHANCE FOR SEVERE STORMS FROM NORFOLK TO THE OMAHA METRO AREA AND INTO SOUTHWEST IOWA. SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS MAY BE MOVING THROUGH THE REGION DURING THE MORNING HOURS…BUT SEVERE STORMS ARE NOT EXPECTED TO DEVELOP UNTIL THE EARLY TO MID AFTERNOON…WITH PEAK TIMING FOR SEVERE WEATHER DURING THE LATE AFTERNOON HOURS. THE STORMS SHOULD MOVE OUT OF THE AREA BY LATE EVENING.

MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY: INTERMITTENT CHANCES FOR THUNDERSTORMS RETURN FROM WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY.

SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT: SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL LIKELY BE NEEDED THIS AFTERNOON AND POSSIBLY INTO THE EARLY EVENING HOURS.

 

Posted in Weather |

Top priorities remain for Branstad as Legislature winds down

News

May 10th, 2015 by Ric Hanson

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Two of Gov. Terry Branstad’s key priorities remain unresolved as the Iowa Legislature winds down this session. Branstad announced in January that he wanted lawmakers to update Iowa’s anti-bullying law and pass legislation to expand high-speed Internet.

The Senate approved an anti-bullying bill but it remains in limbo in the House. A broadband bill passed in the House but it’s still making its way through the Senate. Time is running out to advance the bills. While lawmakers are at odds over the budget for the next fiscal year, party leaders are expected to reach compromise soon, which could quickly lead to adjournment.

Branstad prioritized both issues last year, but they failed to garner enough support. He told reporters Thursday he’s still hopeful this year’s bills will reach his desk.

 

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Riverside’s secondary school: Over budget & behind schedule

News

May 10th, 2015 by Ric Hanson

Construction of the Riverside Community School District’s new secondary building is behind schedule and over its initial budget. The Daily NonPareil reports the $25 million building is expected to be finished March 6th, with plans for the district’s seventh through 12th grades to move into the building prior to the end of the 2015-16 school year.

Superintendent Jim Sutton said a wet summer last year put the project behind. It was supposed to open its doors this December, and Lueder Construction Co. has been told finishing work is urgent. Initially, the building was reported to be $22 million, and Sutton said the district expected closer to $23.5 million. The soil had to be improved for the foundation, and the cost of some work was misjudged by the project’s architects.

Sutton said current work is focused on masonry, and that’s not getting done as fast as hoped. Once the building is enclosed, though, weather will be less of a factor and there’s a chance for an earlier finish. The new building, located at the intersection of Highways 59 and 6 just outside Oakland, will have three levels. The bottom will house gyms and locker rooms, and the middle level will have a commons area, auditorium, office, music room, art room and kitchen.

Classrooms, grouped into middle-school and high-school areas, as well as a media center are planned for the third floor. Sutton said the commons area will be the last space to finish before the shell of the building is complete to accommodate larger equipment working on the project.

The bottom line, Sutton said, is the project will be finished and will not require any additional tax burden because of higher costs. Voters approved a $15.1 million bond issue for the building in June 2013. Once the new building opens, the junior high and high school currently located in Oakland will close. The district will still operate an elementary school in Oakland and an intermediate school in Carson.

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Iowa early News Headlines: Sun., May 10th 2015

News

May 10th, 2015 by Ric Hanson

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) —Strong thunderstorms are possible early this morning and continuing on into this Mother’s Day afternoon, with areas of concern along the Iowa/Minnesota state line and in western Iowa. The main threat appears to be heavy rain across western Iowa, but there is the possibility of isolated tornadoes from extreme eastern Nebraska into southwest Iowa this afternoon.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Authorities say it’s surprising no one was killed in a  chain-reaction accident on Interstate 80 in eastern Iowa that sent 32 people to  hospitals, Friday. The Iowa State Patrol says an earlier accident halted traffic on the interstate near Williamsburg. At about 3 p.m., a semi driven by a Portland, Oregon man who didn’t see that traffic had stopped crashed into the line of cars. It caused chain reaction involving four other vehicles, including a tour bus carrying 26 employees from a Cedar Rapids commercial real estate company. The semi burst into flames upon impact and spread diesel fuel across the interstate, catching other vehicles on fire. University Hospitals in Iowa City say 12 people were treated. Others were taken to hospitals in Iowa City and Marengo.

FOREST CITY, Iowa (AP) — The oldest building in Winnebago County has new owners, a historical society dedicated to preserving it and making it available for special events. The Winnebago County Historical Society now owns the 140-year-old Trinity Lutheran Church in Forest City. Local historians say it’s the oldest building in the county. The Mason City Globe Gazette reports church members have dwindled in numbers and the few remaining decided to put it in the hands of the historical society. The group says the building is in good structural shape and changed little since it was built. The society has agreed to preserve the church’s features although some renovation is planned. They’ll make the church available for weddings, funerals and special events.

 

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